Tag Archives: Cindy Keong haiku

Almost two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending time with a handful of poets exploring the art of haiku in the immensely beautiful surrounds of Ingham’s TYTO Wetlands. Our ginko produced some fine poems, and Cindy, as always, took some incredible photos so that you can share in the beauty. I want to say a big thank you to all of the poets involved.

Before I begin to discuss the poems, let me thank absolutely everyone who has been following the development of My Aching Back. To each of the poets who have offered their words, thank you, and to all of the readers, you are why we keep showing up. In fact, to everyone who has ever visited the site, thank you for keeping me energised!

Now, to the poems… with so many to enjoy, I have decided to discuss the five poems that have made my shortest of short lists. The five poems are:

nothing matters
after sunset

(Carly)

This poem is so direct, so fitting to bring the shisan to its end… not only does it add a gorgeous splash of colour, it reaches into the darkness beyond and in doing so opens up an afterlife for the poem and links us back to Matt’s hokku.

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an empty bed
under the poinciana

(Mal)

Like Carly’s poem, this adds a big splash of colour and smacks of late summer afternoons, seeking refuge from the heat. It’s leap forward to the hokku is so vivid and the emptiness of the bed leaves room for the incoming tide to settle. Truly magnificent!

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the snake flows
over dry grass

(Chloe)

The sound of this poem has held me transfixed… The use of the word ‘flows’ continues the movement of the incoming tide while adding a quiet menace to the poem. Such a unique portrayal of summer in Australia and such a strong leap to Matt’s ‘my aching back’.

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peeling the skin
off the day

(Miguel)

The action in this poem is easily understood by anyone who has spent too many hours (or is that minutes?) in the relentless summer sun… many a time have I felt like peeling the skin off the day (as well as off various parts of my body) as the light blisters everything in sight.

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it’s decided then:
last round’s on me

(Chris)

It feels very fitting to take a seat at the bar (with Chris and everyone else) and toast this poem. I love the generosity of this poem… for me, it captures the camaraderie of the group that has gathered to compose this poem. Would be wonderful to gather everyone together in real time to have that drink!

And on that note, it is time to choose the final pearl in our shisan. To hold down the position of the ageku, and bring us full circle, I have chosen Chloe’s ‘the snake flows’.

But let’s not make this the end… as we did with the New Junicho, I would love people to send me through their own remix of the poem. So if you are up for it, the only poem that needs to remain in place, is Matt’s hokku which gives the poem its name, other than that, here is a link to each of the posts so that you can go back and read through all of the poems and make your own selections.

We are now breathing distance from the ageku and the end of the shisan. What a thrill selecting each link has proven to be; and this is thanks to the vibrant community that has gathered to build this poem word by word, image by image, link by link. So let’s jump in and take a look at the poems on offer for the second of our love links.

Again, it was exciting to see love painted with such broad brushstrokes. From the inspiration that floods from Miguel’s ‘blushed cheeks’, to the glow of smartphones between Lyndon’s lovers; the glorious presence of Aaron’s ‘glimmering eyes’ to the fragrance that lingers as Mal skips a stone across the water; the dark intent of John’s moon to the distance between Lyndon’s tide and lovers; the nakedness of words as Andy slow dances us across the floor to the lull between waves that Cindy leaves us to experience; we experience love in one of its many outfits.

Each of these poems has its own possibility, and many have held (and continue to hold) me in there spell. In making my decision, I have gone back through Links 1 – 10, to ensure that Link #11 breaks new ground, as now, more than ever, it is important to look forward without referencing any of the previous images. Sadly, this ruled out some excellent links… two examples of poems that would otherwise be a fine addition to the shisan are Miguel’s ‘his blushed cheek’ (its use of canvas creates a direct link back to Ashley’s ‘old paintings’ in Link #3), and John’s ‘moonshine’ (in the shisan, there can only be one moon image).

So with this in mind, I have been moving between two poems to make the next leap. These poems are the uproariously funny ‘pyjamas’ (John) and Cindy’s ‘incoming tide’. In the end, the tide carried me away and for Link #11, we welcome Cindy into the shisan. The hushed tones and longing pull of this poem will provide the perfect touchstone to bring us full circle with Link #12. To strengthen the flow of the poem, I have however, decided to change the position of the fragment – incoming tide – moving it from line 1 to line 3.

So let’s open the final call out… Link #12, the ageku, asks for 2 lines with a good splash of summer. It is also important that this link in some way brings us back to imagery in Matt’s opening link (the hokku).

It was a spectacularly clear night on Friday as ten of us gathered at Valori Espresso Lounge & Gallery for our moon viewing ginko along Scarborough Beach. The moon was right on time (6:30pm), revealing its red glow before rising majestically. Here is a selection of poems and photos from the night.

A little while back, I was invited to contribute to the 10th anniversary issue of UK Magazine, Open Wide. It is always a thrill to have my work published in the pages of Open Wide, but being invited makes things extra special.

Issue 25, the 10th Anniversary Issue, is out now and is bursting with ninety-four pages of writing from forty-three of the editor’s favourite contributors from the last ten years including A.D. Winans, Arlene Ang, justin.barrett, James D. Quinton, Owen Roberts, John G. Hall and this Lost Shark (feeling in very fine company here).

The magazine costs just £5 (plus £1.00 P&P for UK buyers – P&P for Europe is £2.00 and the rest of the world is £3.00). It can be purchased only via paypal, which accepts all major credit/debit cards. You can follow this link – www.openwidemagazine.co.uk/owmissues.htm.

As the editor’s say… ‘Miss it, miss out, and trust us, you don’t want to miss this one!’

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The latest issue of Shamrock Haiku is also online and features a couple of my own poems alongside two members of the recent Ginko Group, Cindy Keong and Lee-Anne Davie. It is always good to be surrounded by friends…